Scientists create first-ever map of every coral reef in the Caribbean
If we want to protect our precious coral reefs from the effects of the climate crisis, then we need to know the exact locations where protective regulations and restoration efforts should be aimed. That’s why scientists have developed the first-ever map that visualizes every single coral reef in Read More...
Key West bans large cruise ships from docking to protect coral reefs
On election day, residents of Key West, Florida, voted to impose new restrictions on cruise ships docking in the city — a move that’s expected to give a much-needed respite to fragile marine habitats in the area. The island’s residents voted on three ballot initiatives, including one Read More...
Could gene-hacking coral reefs make them resistant to climate change?
As the temperature of the oceans continues to rise as a result of climate change, coral bleaching events and mass die-offs are becoming more frequent. Some corals though have shown impressive resistance to rising water temperatures, leading researchers to think that there are some genetic Read More...
Marine scientists discover coral reef taller than the Empire State Building
The charted world of the undersea has just gotten a bit richer in color, thanks to marine scientists in Australia who have recently discovered a detached coral reef more than 500 meters high at the Great Barrier Reef. The “blade-like” vertical reef, which is taller than the Empire State Read More...
Playing underwater ‘music’ attracts young fish to degraded coral reefs
Whether it’s the “crackle of snapping shrimp” or the swishing sounds of fish passing by, a healthy coral reef tends to be quite a noisy place. These are sounds that young fish are attracted to once they have hatched and spent their larval stage in the open ocean. The problem is that once a Read More...
Scientists 3D-printed terracotta tiles to restore degraded coral reefs
Like in many other parts of the world, coral presence in Hong Kong has suffered a significant decline in recent years, due to many pressing challenges, including rising ocean temperatures, overfishing, and pollution. This is troubling since coral reefs are some of the most diverse and valuable Read More...
Ambitious experiment aims to protect the Great Barrier Reef from bleaching
The Great Barrier Reef is facing its first mass bleaching event in five years as a result of climate change and the record ocean temperatures. In a bid to mitigate the ecosystem’s loss and protect it from warming, scientists from the University of Sydney have recently experimented with a Read More...
NASA wants you to play this video game to help preserve coral reefs
Video gaming is a common pass time activity among many people confined to their homes due to the coronavirus lockdown. In a bid to make something useful out of this trend, NASA has recently developed an app that enables video-gamers and citizen scientists to help identify and classify the world’s Read More...
3D-printed biostructures could help nurture coral reef ecosystems
As rising ocean temperatures and acidity are wiping off coral reefs at an unprecedented rate, researchers are on a continuous quest to better understand these fascinating ecosystems and to find ways to prevent their mass extinction. Aligned with such a mission, scientists from Cambridge Read More...
Tiny Pacific island nation bans harmful toxins in sunscreens
For some time already, scientific evidence has shown that the chemicals found in most sunscreens are toxic to corals, even in extremely tiny doses. Particularly, the ingredients have a negative impact on the juvenile development of most coral and many fish and algae species. Instead of waiting Read More...